Testimonials

Testimonials

“To me, the major benefit of this project is simple mindfulness. Even if the kids quickly forget the details of this or that case, I think they can leave with an awareness that ethical dilemmas often present themselves in life and in the workplace, and they don’t necessarily announce themselves as such! In fact, they can be downright sneaky, and one can find oneself making “ethical decisions” before even realizing they’re deciding an ethical issue. I know this happens a lot in my work. Newer teachers especially don’t even know their options (or that there might BE options) when asked to make this grade modification or that course level change. And they are typically asked to make such calls “on the fly,” while one group of 25 adolescents is leaving the classroom and another 25 kids are filtering in. So one consistent point of emphasis for me in our discussions was that simply knowing [that] one will face ethical quandaries before one faces them, can help with the quality and integrity of one’s decisions.”

“It is now 11:30 p.m. and Class IV day is pretty much officially done. Since the program ended at 8:15 p.m. I have received 22 parent e-mails and over 30 student e-mails full or praise for the program that the two of you led us through today. The work you have done at GoodWork had a significant impact on the lives of our 9th graders and their parents today. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your dedication to this project and thank for your willingness to work with us on this. It was a really special day. Finally, I hope this is the first of many projects that I might be able to work with you on.”

“I just wanted to let you [the teacher leading Class IV Day] know how great I thought Tuesday night was! You have tinkered with the approach and the focus of the evening and found just the right combination. I attended that event when [our other son] was in Class IV, and although I learned a great deal, the discomfort of the kids (and parents too) over having group discussions around such sensitive topics was loud and clear to me. I know how important it is to try to engage around the many intense social issues that the kids deal with; I think you are heading in a very positive direction to go in through a different door, and center the focus on values, choices, and decision-making. If kids (and all of us for that matter) think about building our lives around meaningful engagement and look at the pressures to succeed in the broadest terms, it is not a very long leap to apply those concepts to all the decisions in our lives.”

The Good Work team’s message and issue seemed to resonate so strongly with everyone, and were the basis for important discussions about values and choices that were meaningful and approachable for all. The kids seemed to have had a great day themselves — it was wonderful to see them so engaged and charged up.

~ Anonymous ParentNoble and Greenough School, Dedham, MA

“In our society education has been focused in academic disciplines more than worrying about developing caring and responsible workers…Our history and culture also has a lot to do with it. Everyday I can see how people are concerned about money, status and appearances more than caring about how to do better in their daily practices. Parents think that sending their children to this kind of school…will [give them] more successful opportunities. I have a different point of view about education and the great amount of responsibility we have as educators and I was worried about how to start making a change with my community.”

I started working with the staff the GoodWork Toolkit once a month, since last October, because we…have a monthly staff meeting. I found it [to be a] powerful tool for my purpose because since we started doing the activities, and analyzing people’s responses to the activities, we can clearly observe that it is simple to recognize and even punish the misbehavior or lack of GoodWork in others, but it is kind of difficult for most of the people in our society to be honest and make deep reflections about their own [lives]. Since we started working and discussing about what GoodWork means in our staff meetings, big changes have been taking place. Teachers now understand the importance of their daily doing, the responsibility of [being] good examples and that the source of GoodWork is within each one [of us]…For the next school year we are planning to start working with the children and parents. We hold a monthly meeting with parents once a month too, so I want to share some of the GoodWork Toolkit activities with them, because I know that for changing the way of thinking needs more than some courses with teachers, we need to live doing GoodWork and we need the parents to be involved in our project. This is not an easy task…[but] I keep on working …to give education a different perspective, so we can influence young people to practice GoodWork…

“I realized that as much as teaching provides exposure to the actions, ideas and reasons to adolescents, it really only constitutes a small window into their lives. The Toolikit opened that window a little more and provided me with a view of some aspects of their personal values, morals and ethics, that are not always visible in the traditional classroom. It did not change my feeling towards any of the individuals as much as it provided clearer pictures of who they really are, what they want, and what they will do to attain it. Overall, I believe that my applications of materials from the Toolkit brought a level of understanding and respect for the uniqueness of each student that I did not have before. If anything, I felt closer affinity with the class in a way that generated more responsible learning from the students and committed teaching from me.”

“[My students] began to think about good work and all that impacts it. They began to think about goals, and I suspect that many had not thought beyond the idea of just making it through to college. We had quite a number of discussions about standards and grade inflation. We even spoke about ‘grade grubbing’ (as I call it). This is a huge issue at this school. My students [also] got to know me in a different way. As we discussed the cases, they heard my opinions and thoughts. I also began to recall situations I had experienced over the years. Students love to hear about their teachers in a ‘real’ way. They also got to know each other in another light. I think that many of our discussions also gave the students a window into the issues teachers face when assessing work and that good work is not just the “A” paper with all the correct answers.

“Before attending PZ as a participant in 2006, I had encountered the “lack” of a moral/ethical compass in my elementary students in an inner-city school…[so] I began to inculcate a “school culture” in my 4th grade classroom that stressed a strong ethical code. Beginning the year with a legend (the school mascot was the Hillside Hawk) I created around cooperation and responsibility to each other and justice. Throughout the year we used scenarios to further their understanding. Although stressed by standardized test pressures, we began to see progress. After attending PZ [Project Zero Summer Institute] and the mini course on the GoodWork Toolkit, I changed jobs to an independent school and a different population. I still felt the need to teach ethics and responsibility to community and honesty. Adapting the Toolkit to 4th grade, I found that these students needed this “moral education” as much as my inner city students. Using the throughline-what are my responsibilities to my community?-I integrated this Toolkit into my curriculum with great success. I found my students internalizing an ethical code they had not yet previously exhibited.”

~ Malika Carter, Elementary School Teacher
San Francisco, CA

“Integrating core professional values into nursing education is essential for the development of competent and committed professional nurses. With growing globalization, there is need for greater consistency and structure to guide the integration of core professional values into nursing curricula across cultures…the preliminary outcomes of the Good Work in Nursing global study indicate that the toolkit is effective in encouraging critical reflection among student nurses in different cultures. Students respond to the case studies and quickly relate the underlying themes associated with good work to the nursing profession. Investigators conclude that ongoing evaluation of the toolkit as an intervention to guide the integration of core professional values into nursing curricula is essential for the recruitment and retention of nurses committed to excellence across cultures. The next phase of this research will involve use of the toolkit in the practice setting to evaluate its effectiveness in promoting job satisfaction and minimizing emotional burnout among practicing nurses.”

“I’ve never seen anyone touch so many lives in 24 hours. Not just touch their lives, but illuminate and stimulate in such a lasting and meaningful way…everyone I’ve spoken to has been beaming…and telling me it was the highlight of the year or, in the case of students, of their entire graduate careers. I hope this does not come across as obsequious, especially because I have so many more similar thoughts that I’d love to share…Every step of the planning was handled in the most responsive, responsible and positive manner imaginable. I now know more about them [Lynn and Wendy] personally, especially in regard their love of and devotion to family, so their dedication and professionalism is that much more appreciated. The Friday afternoon workshop was well attended (58 master’s level counselors) and very well received.”

~ James Donnelly, Professional Development for Graduate Students in CounselingSUNY Buffalo, Buffalo, NY

“What a great presentation in Philadelphia for the American College of Dentists and the American Association of Dental Editors! I heard nothing but positive comments and personally, I learned much. The mission statement for ACD is “ethics, excellence, and professionalism.” Sound familiar? I did not know this at the time we scheduled your presentation, but you were up against the #1 speaker in dentistry. You drew a full house and kept good attendance. That is significant. ”

~ Dave Chambers, President, American Association of Dental Editors; Editor, Journal of the American College of Dentists; Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of Pacific, School of Dentistry